Z Buffer Smoothing Node

Rendering engines such as Maya and Mental Ray output images in a format that uses a simple Z-buffer that does not allow for proper antialiasing around the edges of the geometry. Hence, it is ultimately better for image quality to render using RenderMan or Arnold if possible. Otherwise, if a different rendering engine must be used and there appears to be pixelated hard seams around 3D models, the Z Buffer Smoothing node can be used to smooth out the edges of the rendered model.

Connect the node following the example below.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Histogram Range

Lets you define the range of clean pixels in the depth histogram when rendering 3D models. Only opaque or semi-transparent values are considered.

A low value means fewer pixels are used in the depth calculations and may flatten your object, while a higher value uses more pixels in the depth calculations, but may not eliminate all the image artifacts.

Kernel Size

Lets you determine the size of the matrix used for calculating the depth of a single pixel. For example, for an operation with a kernel size of 3 pixels, Harmony uses the pixels within a 1-pixel radius to calculate the effect. A larger kernel size means longer calculations.